Speculation surrounding Matt Lauer’s future at NBC has been rife, with many publications suggesting that he’s either about to jump ship, or be replaced by Anderson Cooper. But NBC have moved to stamp out those rumours.

NBC executive Alexandra Wallace told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement, "As we've said before, Matt Lauer is the best in the business. We want him in the Today show anchor chair for many years to come. We are not considering replacing Matt Lauer." NBC do go out looking for new talent regularly, but the idea that Cooper is someone they’re looking at was also dismissed. “NBC News has many exploratory talks with talent inside and outside of the network, but to read anything specific into that is presumptuous,” said an NBC News executive. Lauer’s relationship with the NBC execs has been a mixed bag. He hit out at the dismissal of Ann Curry, but was criticised for signing a 2-year $25m contract while her future was in jeopardy. For the network, though, the slide in viewing figures will be their biggest concern.

Matt LauerMatt Lauer on Today

Lauer’s show Today needs to start beating Good Morning America in the ratings, and it hasn’t done so for a while, raising questions as to Lauer’s suitability as host. But he still has support from some corners. “This awful, false narrative campaign against Matt has certainly made him vulnerable, but Matt is still, in my opinion, the best anchor who has ever occupied that chair,” said Shelley Ross, former executive producer at Good Morning America.